April 30th & May 1st: A rest day in Verona & Cycling from Verona - Brescia
- Grant Cameron-Smith
- May 2
- 4 min read
570m of climbing, 76km of cycling
30th April 2025 - Rest Day in Verona
After the grueling day of cycling before, the Crazybikeguys took a day off to rest and do bike repairs.
Julian had found a bike shop in town (on the internet of course) and had managed to chat via WhatsApp with the manager the night before and she had urged them to come in early so that they could attend to their mechanical issues.
On the way to the shop, about 40m from the entrance, Grant’s chain snapped, which was the most bizarre timing and quite fortuitous as they could freewheel down the hill into the bike repair shop.
Before repairs could start, they gave the bikes a much-needed pressure wash as the mud from the day before was now caked all over the bikes, which they appreciated.
They replaced Julian’s derailleur and fixed Grant’s bike too while they waited and had a coffee and Julian was so excited to find that there was a piano instore, so he got a chance to play while everyone worked!
Back to the accommodation to store the bikes, off for a delicious pizza lunch and some exploration in the city of Verona. There was a lot to see and photograph and this time of year lends itself to enjoying the beautiful clear light and the wonderful historical details on the buildings and in the town.
An early night after a delicious dinner was how the day ended for Grant and Julian who are still recovering from their chest infections and need all the sleep they can muster!
1st May 2025 - Cycling from Verona to Brescia
An early start was intended but breakfast was delayed and by the time the boys had set up their bikes and packed everything up and got their electronics sorted, their day started after 9am.
Leaving Verona meant cycling through the city on cycle paths and tracks but most of these have special structures on to demarcate the lanes, which are ok for normal bikes but bikes with panniers on require some adjustment every time one of these pops up, so this means that it is easier to cycle on the road in the main centres as it takes up less time.
After 20 minutes of city riding the cycle path opened up on the side of a canal which made for easier travelling along a scenic strip with many other cyclists all sharing the path. The next town was having a market day which thwarted plans of cycling through it on the designated path, so after a route change and the realization the 1st of May was a holiday and everyone was out enjoying Workers Day, there was some adjustment for the day’s plan! There was a fair amount of bike pushing through the crowds of people too as riding was impossible.
Finally, after all that activity, the boys managed to make their way onto the cycle path to lake Garda, riding along all the paths skirting markets in various lake side towns. The temperature dropped substantially near the water as did the Crazybikeguys’ patience levels as everyone seemed to be out including the touring cyclists all riding along at 3kms an hour enjoying the scenery and the holiday!
A pastry stop saved the day with delicious baked goods and excellent coffee to calm the nerves and improve the mood and the boys opted for some road riding to try and make up time.
The cool breeze eased the ride up a huge hill on leaving the lakeside and quick stop at a cycling shop to get Julian a pair of cycling shorts; the ones he had are hurting his newly muscled legs, brought a visit from a fellow South African that stopped when he saw the bikes with the South African flags on them. Luca, whose family hails from Mill Hill in Bryanston, now lives in Italy and was excited to see some Saffers and stopped to say hello and have a chat!
The greenery of the hills surrounding the lake beckoned, scenic landscapes surrounded them and before they knew it, they were on the flat, fast winding path to Brescia.
A wonderful day of riding – four litres of fluid was the hydration goal today as the temperatures are warmer, the intake of food has definitely improved and the moods had lifted after the stop start eventful morning!
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